Stand for travel irons



NOV. 10, 1953 w, WEEKS 2,658,293

STAND FOR TRAVEL IRONS Filed Feb. 1 1951 Inventor: Walter RWeeks,

His Attorney.

l atented Nov. 10, 1953 STAND FOR TRAVEL IRONS Walter R. Weeks, Hamden, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application February 1, 1951, Serial No. 208,880

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to stands for flat irons and, more particularly, to stands for electric travel irons.

An important secondary use for travel irons arises from the fact that the soleplate of an electric iron makes an excellent hot plate or stove when the iron is supported in an inverted position. Travelers often find themselves in places where no heating or cooking equipment is available for their use but where standard outlets for electric power are provided. Under such conditions, travelers may conveniently heat water for Washing and shaving or cook small servings of food on an inverted travel iron. Thus, a traveler having a travel iron and a suitable stand for holding the iron in an inverted position may not only press clothes but may also cook food and heat water. Further, it is important to a traveler that such a stand be low in cost, as well as easily packed in luggage pieces.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a simple stand for supporting a travel iron in an inverted position.

It is a second object of my invention to provide such a stand which may be produced at low cost by a simple blanking and forming operation.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a stand which is light and easily packed with little space consumption in luggage pieces.

In attaining the foregoing objects of my invention, I provide a stand having a flat base with three upright tangs at one end thereof. Essentially, the upright tangs are formed by a continuation of the flat base bent upright and having two open slots. When the stand is placed with its base upon a table-like surface, a travel iron may be inverted and placed upon the stand so that the center tang of the stand engages the iron by fitting into the receptacle of the iron alongside the separable plug connector of a cord set. The tips of the outer tangs engage the iron handle or body on either side of the connector receptacle, giving added support to the iron and preventing movement of the iron about its longitudinal axis. The handle of the inverted iron then rests upon the top of the stand base or upon the table surface, and the iron is securely supported in an inverted position. The entire stand is made from one piece of sheet metal by a simple blanking and forming operation and, therefore, the stand is low in cost and light in weight. Clips may be provided on each side of the base of the stand to securely fasten the stand to the iron soleplate in order that the two articles may be compactly stored as a unit package.

For a better understanding of my invention, together with its objects and advantages, reference should be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a travel iron inverted and supported by a stand embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation view of the iron and stand shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention; and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of another embodiment of my invention.

Shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is a stand of my invention with its fiat base I sitting upon a table top 2 and supporting an inverted travel iron having a handle 3, foldable by means of pins 4 in looking lever 5, and body 6 containing a resistance element, not shown, with a soleplate I on one side thereof. A receptacle for receiving the separable plug connector on one end of a cord set is defined by the handle 3 and locking lever 5. For a better understanding of the particular handle hinge, locking device, and plug receptacle shown and described, reference should be had to United States Patent 2,479,429, issued August 16, 1949, to A. G. SWenson and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. While my invention is especially well-suited for use with irons having locks and hinged handles, as disclosed in the Swenson patent, it is not to be construed that the invention is limited to use only with such irons.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the stand of my invention is shown in one embodiment having a flat base I, preferably rectangular, with rounded depressions at its corners forming downwardly projecting semi-spherical feet for better nonslipping and thermally non-conductive contact with a table top 2. A center upright tang Be at one end of base I is separated from adjacent upright tangs 9b and by open slots Illa and lflb, the upright portion of the stand being simply a slotted continuation of the flat base I bent to a 90 degree angle with the base I. The center tang 9a is of width substantially less than the length of the plug receptacle into which it is to fit and the slots [0a. and lob are of width substantially greater than the thickness of the side wall of the receptacle. The outer tangs 9b and 9c are of proper length so that their tips engage the handle 3 on both sides of the receptacle of the iron, supporting the weight at the handle end of the iron, and, in conjunction with handle 3 in contact with base I, keeping the soleplate of the iron level. Clips II are an extension of the base I formed to the proper shape for removably fastening the stand to the soleplate 1 of the iron in order to form a compact unit-package or the iron and stand for storage in luggage. That is, the iron may be placed upright upon the stand with the soleplate 1 and top base surfaces in contact and with the clips ll holding the stand to the iron so that the stand and iron in combination may be packed in luggage as a single package.

In use, the stand is engaged with a travel iron by the center tang 9a disposed alongside of a. separable plug connector in the receptacle of the iron provided for such connector, by the tips of the outer tangs 9b and 9c in contact with the two legs of the handle 3, and by the unfolded handle 3 of the iron resting upon the top of the flat base I. The center tang 9a, while not long enough to jam tightly between the plug and receptacle wall, fits snugly enough to prevent any movement of the iron with respect to the stand along either the longitudinal or transverse axis. Outer tangs 9b and 9c, in addition to supporting the weight of the handle end of the iron, also keep the soleplate surface level and prevent any rocking movement of the iron about its longitudinal axis. Further, the center of gravity of the iron, either alone or with any food or containers on the soleplate, lies somewhere between the upright tangs and the point of handle contact with base I, so that the iron cannot rotate about a transverse axis. Therefore, the inverted iron is firmly supported in stable equilibrium by the stand of my invention.

Fig. 4 is another embodiment of my invention, similar in every respect to the construction and method of support of the embodiment previously described, except that flat base I is considerably shorter in length and the handle of the iron held, therefore, rests not upon the fiat base I but upon the table-like surface supporting the stand. This embodiment can effectively support a travel iron in an inverted position, and, while it is perhaps not as stable as the first embodiment described because of its smaller base, it has the advantage of being smaller and lighter and, thus, being easier to pack.

My invention, then, provides a stand for holding a travel iron securely in an inverted position with the soleplate of the iron level and uppermost for cooking or heating food and water. It provides a stand easily and economically made,

4 easily used, and easily packed and carried in a suitcase.

While the present invention has been described by reference to particular embodiments thereof. it will be understood that numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without actually departing from the invention. I, therefore, aim in the appended claim to cover all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the foregoing disclosure.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

The combination with a flatiron having a soleplate, a handle extending therefrom and a plug receptacle having end and side walls for removably receiving a plug connector at one end of the iron, of a readily detachable stand for supporting said iron in an inverted position comprising a flat rectangular sheet metal horizontal base, depressions in said base forming feet for said base, an upright wall forming a continuation of one end of said base extending normal to the base, said upright wall having two slots therein forming three tangs, the outer of said tangs being in supporting engagement with the flatiron on either side of the plug receptacle, and said slots being greater in width than the thickness of the side walls of the plug receptacle, the center one of said tangs removably engaging with an end wall of said receptacle and being held in engagement therewith by a plug connector when insorted in the receptacle, the length of said tangs being such that an inverted flatiron will be held on said stand with one end of said iron supported by said outer tangs and the other end supported by a portion of the handle resting on the base at a point remote from said tangs, and with movement of the iron relative to said stand being prevented by the said center tang engagement.

WALTER R. WEEKS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 882,835 McGillivray Mar. 24, 1908 1,595,501 Calvert Aug. 10, 1926 1,814,517 McDowell July 14, 1931 2,448,227 McCan Aug. 31, 1948 

